


memories

by asmaanixx



Category: Ishq Mein Marjawan 2
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, F/M, First Time, Memory Loss, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:41:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29548779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asmaanixx/pseuds/asmaanixx
Summary: Vansh's betrayal pushes Riddhima over the edge.
Relationships: Riddhima/Vansh Raisinghania
Kudos: 4





	memories

For two whole months Riddhima was led to believe that her husband had died. She supposed she would have been infuriated had it been a stranger who broke the news of it not being true. But she couldn’t bring herself to feel such an emotion when Vansh had revealed himself.

It had been the night before New Years.

The whole world had waited with bated breath to usher in 2021, desperately hoping that the new year would undo all the damage that had been done in the previous one. Riddhima however, couldn’t bring herself to be that optimistic. The worst kind of damage that could have happened to her was already done.

She had lost the love of her life, permanently.

Or so she had thought until Vansh had strode into the VR Mansion as if nothing had happened at all. As if he had simply gone on a long business trip, and had arrived back home to surprise everyone on an already joyous occasion.

Indeed, the dull night had instantly brightened for the Raisinghania family.

The always prickly Ishani had broken out into tears, and had run to hug her brother. Daadi, whose life had resided within her grandson, had beamed bright as if she had gotten a new birth. Showering him with kisses, she had dragged him to the temple, and done his aarti to chase away any evil eye that might have lingered on. Even his aunt, and uncle, and Aryan, had expressed their pleasure in seeing him again. His stepmother had done the same, but her eyes didn't gleam with happiness like everyone else's did.  


As for Riddhima, she hadn’t even dared to approach him, even though her heart had kept pounding against her chest. Her Vansh was alive! How could she not be elated?

But she had remained at the top of the staircase, watching everyone from above. Vansh had noticed her. Stared back at her even. But he had made no move towards her. Instead, he had directed his attention back to Ishani who had been more than happy to pull him away from Riddhima’s eyes.

Riddhima had taken his aversion as an indication that nothing would ever be right between them again. After all, how could it when he had leapt off the cliff believing she had given him the ultimate betrayal.

Riddhima had returned back to her bedroom, and had gotten her suitcase out. There was no point in staying back, if she wasn’t wanted. The Raisinghanias had already expressed their displeasure of having her around multiple times over the past two months. Now with Vansh back, and his unwillingness to have her around, the decision had already been made. It was best if she left without causing any undue ruckus.

It had taken her about an hour or so to get her suitcase prepared. She didn’t bother to take anything that belonged exclusively to the Raisinghanias, or something that didn’t have a personal emotional connection to her.

She had been zipping the suitcase closed when the door had clicked open, then closed behind her. It was Vansh, carrying a silver gift bag.

Riddhima had returned her attention back to her luggage. Lifting it off the bed, she had carried it over to the cupboard so that it wouldn’t get in anyone’s way.

“Pati laut aaya aur chehre pe ek muskurahat bhi nahi?” Vansh asked.

Riddhima had remained frozen in her spot. He had taken meaningful steps towards her, his intense eyes never once moving away from her. He had traced a finger against her cheek, and Riddhima had shivered at his touch. For the first time that night, it had hit her that he was truly standing before her. She had closed her eyes, and leaned into his touch.

“Tumhare liye kuch laya hoon.” He had said, removing his hand from her cheek.

Riddhima had opened her eyes, and looked at him curiously. Vansh had handed the silver gift bag to her, which she accepted.

She had been looking into it curiously, when Vansh had said, “Naya saal hai, gift toh banta hai na?” Riddhima had lifted her eyes to meet his. “After all, shikayat karne ka mauka nahi milna chahiye.”

Riddhima’s eyes had watered. “Tum aa gaye ho na? Aur kya chahiye mujhe?”

Vansh had chuckled. “Zaara pehen kar aao. Mein bhi toh dekhu ki meri pasand kaisi hai.”

Riddhima had blushed. “Tum lekar aaye ho toh achi hogi.”

Vansh had simply smiled in return. He had tilted his head over to the bathroom, and Riddhima had gone inside to change.

When she had come out, Vansh’s eyes had widened. Riddhima had slowly approached him, not quite used to wearing the kind of dress Vansh had given her. Then there was the matter of his gaze on her. In all the time she had spent with Vansh, he had never looked at her so fiercely before. For a brief moment, she had felt self-conscious. The dress itself had been sleeveless, and hugged all her curves tightly. The hem rested up to her mid thigh, and there was a cut in the middle that accentuated, and teased a little bit of her cleavage. It wasn’t a dress that Riddhima would have ever picked out for herself, but that night even she had to admit, she had looked extremely hot.

Vansh had walked over to her, and had lightly ran his fingers down her arm. She had shivered at his touch.

He had chuckled. “Galti kar di tumhe yeh dress de kar.” Riddhima had looked up at him, slightly hurt. “Paanch minute bhi nahi hue tumhe pehne hue, and I already want you out of it.”

Riddhima had lowered her eyes, blushing heavily. She had parted her lips to say something but nothing came out. Vansh had put them to good use as he had leaned down and kissed her. Riddhima had been taken aback by his gesture, but the more he kissed her, the more her own desire for him grew. Her hands had looped around his neck, while he had reached towards her back, and began unzipping the dress. She had gasped when he ran his fingers up her hot skin. He had hooked his fingertips underneath the straps of her dress, and had pulled them over her shoulders. He had crouched as he tugged the dress down along with him. Riddhima’s toes had curled as she stood before him in nothing but her panties. Vansh had looked up at her, and Riddhima knew exactly what had been on his mind. Even if there had been any room for doubts, they were eliminated when he began to slide his hands over her legs. Hot, wet kisses followed the seering tracks that were left behind by his hands. Riddhima wasn’t sure how she had managed to stand for that long. Her knees had felt like they were going to give way at any moment, especially when he had started to kiss the inside of her thighs.

She had tangled her fingers in his hair, and he had started to pepper her stomach with kisses. His hands had lazily drifted up to her breasts, and Riddhima had gasped at his touch. She had lifted his chin, and she had never seen a more primal look in his eyes before.

He had immediately stood, captured her lips in a heated kiss, and had led her backwards to the bed. Hooking his hands underneath her legs, he had thrown her onto the mattress. Riddhima had kissed him again, not wanting to be away from him any longer.

It had been one of the most glorious nights for Riddhima as she had loved, and been loved in return. Over and over, between kisses and thrusts, sucking and biting, Riddhima would never be able to account for all the ecstasies she had.

She had hugged Vansh from behind, and had allowed herself to live in the moment as both their bodies breathed in unison. Vansh however, had removed her hand and gotten out of bed. Riddhima had assumed he would be going to the bathroom, but he had started to put on his clothes.

As he was getting into his pants, Riddhima had asked, “Vansh, kya hua?”

Without looking at her, Vansh had replied. “Kuch nahi. Mujhe jo chahiye tha woh mil gaya.”

An ugly, awful feeling had coursed through Riddhima. She blinked her eyes, and tried to smile. “Matlab?”

Vansh had finally looked at her. His smile had deeply unsettled her. He had zipped up his fly, and pocketed his hands.

“Dekhna chahta ki tum kis hadh tak jaa sakti ho.” He had run his eyes over her naked body before he had smirked. “Turns out you can go quite far.”

Riddhima’s eyes had burned with hot tears. She had trembled as the awful truth had begun to weigh in on her.

“Chalo,” Vansh had grabbed his shirt, “tum kissi kam toh aayi.” He had leaned down, and kissed her gently on the lips. “See you tomorrow night.”

With that, he had left the room, and Riddhima had remained feeling disgusted, and hollowed. She had somehow managed to get herself to walk to the bathroom. It was there that she had proceeded to spend the rest of the night, vigorously rubbing any and all traces of Vansh off of herself. The deep love that she had felt for him mere minutes ago had instantly dissolved into a multitude of emotions. Anger that she had let herself be so vulnerable before him. Disgust that she could be so foolish into thinking that he would ever want her after what she had done. She felt sick to her stomach over how she had expressed her love for him all night long, and he never once felt the same.

She had leaned her head against the bathroom wall, curled her knees up to her chest, and she had sobbed.

Riddhima dug her nails into her arms, to get herself to stop crying. She had done enough of that last night. There was no point in shedding any more tears. It was the new year after all, and she had a singular purpose in mind for today.

She looked over her shoulder as the door clicked open. It was Vansh. The minute his eyes landed on Siya, he ran to her side immediately. The woman was strung up to multiple wires, and was sleeping as instructed by the doctors. In the past two months that she had been staying at the hospital, Siya had made tremendous progress in her recovery. Riddhima would have told the rest of the Raisinghanias so that they could come and visit her, but when she found out who was responsible for Siya’s condition, she never did. She kept Siya’s location to herself, and bore the hatred the Raisinghanias threw at her.

But after what happened last night, there was nothing left for Riddhima to protect. The absolute worst that could have happened to her, did.

Siya’s eyes slowly blinked open, then widened when she saw her big brother. Tears rolled down, and Vansh immediately wiped them away. He laughed, and spoke warmly to her. Riddhima watched on quietly. She couldn’t fathom how the man sitting before her now, was the same as last night’s.

“Siya, yeh tumhare saath kisne kiya?” Vansh asked, holding his sister’s hand. “Bas naam bata do.” There was a vicious threat underlying his voice.

Riddhima hung her head. She knew that it was aimed for her. Unfortunately for him, his wish would never come true.

Siya’s voice was still hoarse from disuse, but the name she took was loud and clear. “Anupriya.” Vansh froze.

Siya continued to explain the deep secrets that she had unearthed before her horrific accident. Riddhima had already heard it all before. It had shaken her then, now it was Vansh’s turn.

Seeing how there was no purpose to her anymore, Riddhima quietly left the room. She walked towards the stairway, wanting a little bit of peace and quiet. There was nothing left for her anymore. Even if the truth did come out before the Raisinghanias, they would never forgive her for involvement with Kabir. Her spying, and kidnapping of Ragini had indirectly brought upon all this tragedy. As for Vansh, she would never forgive him for what he did. It was strange how all it took was one moment for him to hollow her out, and leave her feeling nothing less than a shell. Just an empty body walking around with no desire to live.

She eyed the long flight of steps that rested towards her right.

Minutes passed.

She took a step, and fell with a deafening crack.

* * *

When Riddhima came to, her head felt heavy. Her eyes flinched against the harsh fluorescent light. She looked towards her right, and saw various machines beeping loudly.

A nurse walked in, spoke something that Riddhima couldn’t quite hear clearly. The woman left, and a few minutes later a doctor walked back in.

“Hello,” He spoke politely, “my name is Dr. Mukesh. What is your name?”

“Riddhima.” She croaked.

“That’s very good.” He replied, checking over her vitals. “Could you tell me what the date is today Riddhima?”

Riddhima thought hard but it hurt her.

“Take your time. There’s no need to rush.” The doctor said.

“July… 3rd?” Riddhima answered.

“And the year?” The doctor inquired.

“2018.” Riddhima’s answer came instantly.

“Hmm.”

“Is that not right?” Riddhima asked, not really liking Dr. Mukesh’s reaction.

“Let’s not worry about that Riddhima.” He smiled. “I’m just glad that you’re awake. We’ll deal with everything else in due time.”

He gestured for the nurse to walk with him, and they both left Riddhima in the room. As she scanned it, she noticed it was quite lavish.  _ Definitely  _ not something that she could afford.

The nurse walked back in to change her IV drip, and Riddhima took the opportunity to ask her about the room. There was a brief moment of panic before the nurse composed herself. Telling Riddhima not to worry about it, she instructed her to take some rest. A stupid advice really. There’s no way Riddhima wanted to shoulder the hundreds of thousands of rupees that the medical bills would surely rack up.

Riddhima would have argued with the nurse a little more, but her head started to feel incredibly heavy. She decided to do as she was instructed for now. She’ll pick her fight with her tomorrow.

* * *

The next several days passed in her conducting a long series of tests. Multiple scans were taken of her brain to ensure everything was alright. The bones she had broken during her nasty fall were x rayed to ensure they were healing correctly. She was even appointed a psychiatrist to help her ease back into the world.

Apparently, due to her fall, Riddhima had lost her memory, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember the past three years of her life. She was given names, and pictures that should have been familiar to her but she wouldn’t illicit a single reaction. Her mind would be completely blank.

* * *

It was nearing time for her to leave the hospital, and Riddhima’s heart pounded. As long as she was in the hospital, she was cocooned, and sheltered by the care of all the doctors and nurses assigned to her. But the minute she stepped out of the building, she would be completely alone.

She didn’t have a family that she could go back to. She didn’t have a home either since it’s been so long since she was last at the hostel. Sejal wasn’t even an option for her to turn to since she was working, and now living in Dubai. Getting a source of income was also going to be difficult for her since she couldn’t practice physiotherapy without her clearing her licence again. She couldn’t even do some event management jobs since Sejal wasn’t here. Not to mention, Riddhima’s body still ached from her nasty fall. The nurse had once again told her to relax and not worry so much, but Riddhima didn’t have that option. She was all alone, and she only had herself to rely on.

At least there was one good thing that happened to her since she woke up: she didn’t have to worry about the hospital bills. Riddhima doesn’t know who this anonymous person was, but they had decided to take care of all her expenses after they had seen her being wheeled into the ICU. Riddhima had tried to find out who it was multiple times but she never could. She still made sure to let the anonymous person know of how grateful she was of their kindness. If it weren’t for them, Riddhima didn’t know how she would have ever paid off these bills.

* * *

At last the day had arrived for her to leave. Riddhima didn’t know where the months flew by, nor how close she had gotten to the staff and other patients. She knew this day would always arrive, but it didn’t make her departure any easier.

She put on a pair of clothes that she didn’t recognize, and eyed a shiny watch that she knew she couldn’t afford. She picked it up and asked the nurse if this truly belonged to her.

“It has to be.” She said. “It was found on your person after all.”

Riddhima ran a thumb over the watch’s face. She didn’t know why she would ever get such an expensive accessory for herself. Still, she slid it over her wrist, and examined it. She had to admit, it looked awfully pretty. The clear white face with the twelve golden straight lines - there was far too much beauty in its simplicity.

Riddhima picked up her purse, said her goodbyes, and finally stepped out of the hospital building as a new person. She stood there for a few minutes, taking in her surroundings. The cars travelled fast across the roads. The birds and dogs were busy contributing to the noise pollution. People walked around lost in their own worlds. Just another reminder for Riddhima as to how insignificant she really is. Whether she lives or dies, no one would really care.

Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. With her head held high, she walked into the world ready to make her place in it.

* * *

Vansh was seated in his car, watching the front of the hospital building. Riddhima was to be discharged today.

It would be wrong to say that his life changed drastically within months. It didn’t take months for these changes to take place. It was mere moments. It took him a moment to judge Riddhima so harshly based on what other people said. It took him a moment to ruin what was undoubtedly an intimate experience for her. It took a moment for him to learn just how wrong he actually was.

Anupriya and Kabir had wronged him. For that they were punished heavily. It was only fair for him to be punished for his crimes as well.

The very day Siya came home with him, Riddhima was admitted in the hospital. It was officially declared that she had a simple accident and fell down the stairway. But Vansh knew better. It wasn’t an accident.

After his supposed death, Riddhima carried on. She picked up where he left off, and bore all the responsibilities that he once would have. She took on all the hatred, and punishment his family threw at her, and she never complained once. 

Yet, she threw herself down those stairs in the hopes that she would never make it out alive. She wanted to die, and he was the one who pushed her that far.

His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter.

The mere thought of anything happening to her infuriated him. He laughed at himself at that thought. He already did the worst that could have happened to her. He was the monster in her life.

His eyes followed her as she walked past his car. Tears fell down his cheeks as he knew that would be the very last time Riddhima would ever cross his path.

Riddhima had left long ago, but Vansh remained in the car, sobbing.

He hit the steering wheel several times. He had no right to cry. It was all his fault anyways. All he had to do was tell her the truth. Or at the very least not become so blinded by his desire for revenge that he would cross all limits.

But this was the path he chose for himself. He saw the fire and rather than be warmed by it, he chose to burn himself.

He glanced at the watch Riddhima had gifted him. A poignant reminder of what their relationship could have been.

His heart broken, Vansh turned on the car, and left.


End file.
